I bet that car is rare with leather interior. Top Rated Seller Top Rated Seller. Mr_Brown99 writes: Bad on gas. Michael Simonson wrote that 19,000 police St. Regis models were made in 1979, 6,000 in 1980, and 2,000 in 1981; most were ordinary police cars rather than special interceptors, and many were destroyed in movies. The CHP also maintains a SWAT team on 24hour standby to respond to any terrorist activity. The Diplomat has been a long staple in American history mostly recognized as police cars throughout most Gateway Classic Cars Click for Phone O Fallon, IL 62269 (644 miles away) 2 27 1984 Dodge Diplomat At 58,461 miles, he front brake pads were replaced, otors turned and wheel bearings repacked. I remember Dabney Coleman driving one in the hilarious car chase in the movie Short Time, and wondering just how that thing held together. The 225 Slant-6 inline-6 was now the standard engine with optional 318 and 360 V8s; a three-speed automatic was paired to all three engines. 1979 Dodge Ram Charger. 1978 Dodge Magnum Color Chart. I wonder if they were actually any more comfortable? The only other thing was the headliner started coming down after the car was 20 years old. The Chevrolet Celebrity was a mid-sized front-wheel drive sedan employed by police forces from 1982, and the biggest engines hadsix cylinders. So, old perceptions die hard especially when large sums of money are involved. Sweet looking car. While police units who used the cars praised handling and had positive things to say about the 360-powered cars, when things are falling off, breaking, or worse, showing up on new cars not put on properly, the damage was considered done. In the book's survey, officers wrote that the 360 powered 1980 St. Regis was the best Mopar police car of all time. on average and handled pretty well. My clearest memory of these is the numerous pictures in the paper showing acres and acres of these things sitting unsold in rail yards all over north Michigan and southern Ontario. The CHP also works with municipal and federal law enforcement agencies, providing assistance in investigations, patrol and other aspects of law enforcement. For 1979, Dodge dumped he Monaco line altogether and unveiled this mid-size sedan called St. Regis. 1978 Dodge Omni. The CHP uses other types of vehicles for special units, such as truck enforcement, or for use in areas where cars can go, like off road or mountain areas. Does anyone know why a car was named after a Saint? I know the J-yards in Saskatoon circa 1991-ish were just lousy with them. State inspectors snipped the police lights, including the spot light, and the wiring for the hideaway headlight motor. For 1979, the 360 was available to cops in all fifty states, with a rating of 195 horsepower for everyone but those in California. It was closer to old headquarter of GM though. The second Bluesmobile was an LTD Crown Victoria in the movie Blues Brothers 2000. Surprisingly, a similar glut of inventory occurred approximately 10 years ago, near the end of Daimler-Benz ownership of Chrysler: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/12/chrysler-bank-on-it/. Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler Police Cars 1979-1994 notes that the 360 powered St. Regis, Newport, and Gran Fury were the fastest and best performing police cars of the era. Henry Ford II would only go kicking and screaming, and only after he saw the success of GMads from the later 1970s showcased the full-size girth of cars like the LTD II, Thunderbird and LTD. If you were feeling spacey, you could have sprung for this. Newly-installed CEO Iacocca went to Congress seeking loan. Dodge St. Regis sedan: 1979: Dodge St. Regis sedan: 1978: Dodge Monaco sedan: 1977: Dodge Monaco sedan: 1976: Dodge Coronet sedan: 1975 . I was thinking the same thing, jerseyfred like the universal power window kits you saw in JC Whitney catalogs from the 80s. New Product, And How To Assemble It: The Speedway Motors Sheet Metal Mock Up LS Engine! The car is offered for sale locally, nd I reserve the right to end the auction early. Many of these 1979-1981 police cars were sold with the 318 V8; others had a 360 engine with four-barrel Carter Thermoquad carburetor. I could say more about this but I wont. Have you ever wondered what all those boxy American police sedans were from the 1980s in American movies and television shows? T.J. Hooker s vehicle of choice after season 2. I think a horizontal bar grille, as Dodge was introducing at the time, would have been a nice touch. Original MSRP $6,847. These cars are a great deal for St Regis shoppers. 1979 brought the CHP multiple vehicle test. Although this model, like the Aspen/Volare and Omni/Horizon models, was conceptually fine and could have been competitive, new Chryslers launched at that time werent even half-baked when foisted on the public. It took years to find another working headlight door motor. Good ones are extremely hard to come by. After the Audi, he bought a Toyota Previa, which functioned beautifully, and never bought another non-Japanese car again. The department usually kept their cars three years, but the St. Regis were so bad, they replaced them after only two. We'll give you credit for the submission (of course) and what is cooler than showing all your gang that you have a story on Bang Shift? I bought it in Pa. and drove back to Mi. Offered only as a four-door notchback sedan, the St. Regis was styled with frameless door glass (the rear quarter glass was fixed). Ok, this is painstakingly hard to do however I've decided to sell this original, never any rust or filler, 80 Plymouth Gran Fury E38 Police Package Unit with 80K miles, 360 HP, HD 727 and Rear. In The 60s and 70s you even saw the odd Pontiac or Meteor. Ten years earlier the full size Chrysler cars came out with the cockpit styling and hoods long enough to land a plane on. It's in pretty good shape. We were best friends in high school; hard to believe that 35 years later we are not even on speaking terms. 1979 Dodge St Regis Police TJ Hooker R Body 1979 60,100 Automatic Davis, California, United States View 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) NO RESV 1979 V8 (360 CI) 52,000 Automatic Broad Brook, Connecticut, United States View 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ALL ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) 52K If you are going to go for the ultimate unloved unicorn, you go for the best. I thought, most of the St. Regis were used on T.J. Hooker. Required fields are marked *. (includes original 1979 License plate that came with the car when I purchased it). Or, at least, thats how the story goes. Its hardly perfect, but like anything else that is mechanically kept up, it has been and continues to be a faithful member of the family fleet outlasting much newer cars meant to replace it. I have a Pioneer in it now because it has a USB port and Im running almost all my music off a thumb drive now. Even then, these were unusual to see, but I remember thinking it was much nicer than I expected. When I turn off the lights, the doors now make a satisfying thunk as they close. I purchased the car in 2004, ith 58,194 original miles, rom the son of the elderly woman who originally purchased the car in Northern California. And Im sure thats the last time I ever saw one. But.this..Chrysler pioneered breakerless ignition, to convert a Chrysler product to points, thats like peeing on Walter Ps Chryslers Grave! The Celebrity replaced the Malibu mentioned above and presented more efficient packaging with better interior space and fuel economy, a configuration which was becoming more and more popular with private customers rather than traditional large rear-wheel drive models. The leather interior door handles need to be re-attached. Copyright 2023 BangShift LLC. I did this to my St. Regis and ran a early 1990s AM/FM cassette and it blended right in. It was probably easier to do this in my car because it was originally a single speaker AM radio and I ran the speaker wiring from the back and put in some front speakers in the factory holes and hooked everything up to the later harness. My BIL had one of these, an 80 model he bought in fall of 1991. It was only produced from 1979 to 1981 and most of the 58,000+ cars produced went to fleet use. Buy It Now +C $44.54 shipping. 4WD. The best cure for Lean Burn is to pull it, replace it with a standard Chrysler electronic ignition and a matching non Lean Burn carburetor. 1978 Dodge Challenger. So, if you took your eyes off the road for even a moment, you could find yourself halfway in the adjacent lane. The Horizon had stick shift and no air conditioning, so he traded it on the LeBaron. Video: YouTuber thrashes Ferrari F8, to provoke lawsuit? Its engine is a naturally aspirated petrol, 5.9 litre, overhead valve 90 degree V 8 cylinder with 2 valves per cylinder. . Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 2021. Then, there were the perpetual front end alignment problems. Ive known some people who still have working Lean Burn cars and even as a Mopar guy I consider them miracle cars to have one still working 35 plus years later. In Canada, we only got the Medallion version, the top trim. Menu. The longest fresh water beach in the world couldnt hide a beater imperial. The Chrysler R-body cars (like their 197478 predecessors) arrived at precisely the wrong time, as a second gasoline crisis hit the U.S. in 1979. Which is why I have always wanted one. Nor have I tried. A period correct light bar, iren, potlights, hotgun rack and non-functional police radio were installed. I have 253k and still rolling. He pulled the engine to put in a 53 Willys and sold the car before he finished it. The St.Regis looks like one of the worst. Ours was also a 318 with the super tall gearing. I have a line on 5 other cars. By 1989 it was very outdated with its three-speed auto and carburetted engines but was the first Chrysler model to feature an air bag and tilt-adjust steering wheel. 1979 Dodge LRT Express. all combined to keep sales low. Your email address will not be published. I bought a lean burn 81 imperial as a gag for beer runs at the cottage 20 plus years ago . 397. DECODED AS POLICE, Rare 1977 Dodge Monaco CHP Police big block 440 Magnum Police Pursuit Cruiser, 1973 DODGE POLARA POLICE CAR, THE REAL DEAL, TEXAS POLICE PKG. Print length 192 pages Language English Publisher Motorbooks Intl Publication date January 1, 1996 Dimensions 8.5 x 0.5 x 10.75 inches ISBN-10 0760301972 ISBN-13 978-0760301975 See all details The Amazon Book Review Prices shown are the prices you can expect to pay for a 1979 Dodge St Regis 4 Door Hardtop Pillared across different levels of condition. Years later they were running the Dodge Diplomat and they were really pretty good. Looking at that last photo, he wore what appears to be a denim-like leisure suit to prom. It looks pretty good for 36 years and 100,000 miles. But you know, a funny thing happened. No St. Regis, but the Sask Highway Traffic used them, the guys who enforce truck& commercial vehicle stuff, weigh scales etc.The cars were a kind of dark brass color, A new grille for its final year heralded the merger of the Fifth Avenue and New Yorker names in 1982, in the more successful luxury version of the M-body Dodge Diplomat. Not sure if I even drove it around the block, or just in the parking lot. ( I came across a excellent looking Fox Continental in a Ford-Lincoln dealership in North Michigan last month, and it reveals the problem when I opened the door ). I always thought the St. Regis was a good looking car. The leather was cracked and looked horrible. Only owned it for 27 years, lol. Today's Rare Ride is for sale in Pennsylvania. Ever. -WILL TRADE FOR- preferably 70s sedan, compact, truck, anything 70s. My mechanical skills at the time were far from what they are now so the issue was never solved and the car remained in my possession for a couple more years. Compared to its 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco predecessor, the Dodge St. Regis shed 5.5 inches in length, 2.7 inches in width, 3 inches in wheelbase, and nearly 900 pounds of curb weight (dependent on powertrain). The way the seat has the tear in the photo looks like vinyl to me. 1979 Dodge St. Regis Michigan State Police Find this Pin and more on police by dan gordon. I wonder if anyones ever tried to fit one on. We were not alone in these issues. Dodge Charger 7th-gen. The Lynn Townsend era had seen many, many screwups in managementthe Sales Banks, the 1974 C-bodies that couldnt have come at a worse time, a strict no small Chrysler policy that blew up in their faces when the Cordoba (yes, it was a small Chrysler compared to a New Yorker) proved to be a sales blowout that the company had desperately needed, and of course the problematic quality control gripes had eroded Chryslers reputation. Given how much Chrysler was copying Buick styling with these R Bodies, Im surprised they didnt offer a version with rear fender skirts. Cool Project Series: Full Boost Is Turbocharging A 351-Cleveland Powered 1976 Ford F-350 Ramp Truck. Brand New. Im from Saskatoon originally. About the headlight doors: either the motor needs lubricating or the brushes are toast. The St. Regis is a motor car from Dodge, with rear wheel drive, a front positioned engine and a 4 door saloon (sedan) body style. $26,900. All repairs are documented. Im not a fan of the power window controls. Sharing its platform with the successful Fox-based Mustang, the Fairmont was the last of the compact rear-wheel drive sedans from Ford during this time. This baby did it very well. Ive never actually seen one up close and in person. I think they should put it back in limited service, maybe nice summer days, and mess with some peoples minds. This list also features many cars enjoyed by other government departments and taxi operators across North America, and in some cases represented some of the last full-size traditional rear-wheel drive sedans in America for some time until the configuration became popular again. I dont recall ever seeing one of them with leather seats. because the CHP had to petition the CARB (Ca. After 2 tears, a 50 cent piece sized flake of paint departed the quarter panel, leaving scabbly rust. Towards this I have a Motorola radio, lights, federal pa 200 siren and speaker, sl-20 flashlight, radar, and other items to come. In addition to its highway patrol duties, the CHP also provides other services including protecting state buildings, state facilities, and state officials. A/C, Cruise, PWR seat, windows, Special handling package, 3 tag car. The Dodge St. Regis is a very rare car. (ABC Comedic, sarcastic Version of Miami Vice in the same time period). Replacing the Monaco, the St. Regis was the largest Dodge sedan, positioned above the mid-size Diplomat and Aspen. The front suspension continued to offer Chryslers signature longitudinal front torsion bars, called Torsion-Aire, and anti-sway bar with a solid rear differential connected to leaf springs. Edit options. About Dezo's Garage. By comparison, the downsizing of the GM A, B, and C-bodies in the preceding years were seismic events and the Volare/Aspen and LTD downsizing debuts were also rather big deals. I still cant get past the way Dodge partially wrapped chrome bumpers with plastic, leaving exposed plastic edges. piraf23, tim boone and 16 more people faved this That would kick in around 28-30 mph, causing a massive ping/detonation/lugging event alarming enough to make you let off the throttle. But word did get out that the officers positively loathed these things! The interior of the St. Regis got beat up pretty easily and the frameless door glass got kind of loose but I dont remember having the glass fall out. It had a 360 four-barrel and that good old never-breaking 727 Torqueflite transmission. Up to 1958, the California Highway Patrol would purchase vehicles 2 times a year, and many times it would be a different make. Broad Brook, Connecticut, United States. Not only is it essentially uselesswow its ugly. The Dodge St. Regis is a full-size Dodge automobile built from 1979 to 1981. police car fan 2012-09-05 18:16-- Last edit: 2014-03-24 14:42:15: police car fan 2013-11-07 20:50. The back seat was surprisingly roomy and compared well to Dads oh-so-broughamy 1980 Buick Limited, which was a beloved family vehicle. I had front end problems that no one could fix, the transmission slipped, and the car used a quart of oil every 500 miles. Find 3 used Dodge Diplomat as low as $3,999 on Carsforsale.com. They should change the breather sticker to Lean Burn of Death. So they always occupied a small space in my automotive memory banks. Wow, we really do have some things in common, although I think your LeBaron experience was even worse than ours. Plastic over part of the chrome bumpers, body panels that do not line up right, rust on the body, wrinkles in the vinyl top, missing trim, broken interior door handles, the door panels and dash look very cheaply made, things dont line up, the dash design looks like a patchwork off pieces from different jigsaw puzzles. 1700 isnt crazy for this one, though it seems more like maybe a $1200 car to me. For reasons we never diagnosed it couldnt get out of its own way, but handled like a go cart..fun car, and new enough that people got out of your way in a hurryor slowed down to a miserable fear soaked pace.. Where are the blinkers? The name Ford Fairmont was a long-running nameplate in Australia, but in North America it was produced only from 1977 to 1983. The 360 has been beefed up to a proper level and the car barks out through headers into Flowmasters. I sold that car years ago when I was still a teenager and now I regret it! In California, the St. Regis was fitted with a 190 hp four-bbl 360 V8. Given the glacial maximum acceleration rate, there wasnt much of a visual cue it was being hooned anyway. The B-body platform was updated to replace the departed C-body cars. Select a vehicle trim below to get a valuation. For the record, there were 360 M-bodies built through 1979. The CHP tried some marked Camaros in 1992, and used a few 1993 and 1994 (and 2001 and 2002) Camaros for truck enforcement. 1979 Chrysler Newport & Dodge St Regis Police Cars Press Photo & Release 0081 Opens in a new window or tab. Your parents experience with a 78 LeBaron mirrored mine. 4 Door Hardtop Pillared. Competing against the downsized General Motors B-body chassis and the all-new Ford Panther chassis, the R-body is the longest-wheelbase of the three. I always suspected that might have been a feature rather than a bug. Most disastrous of all was the 1980 Dodge St. Regis supplied to the California Highway Patrol. Or not. Shop millions of cars from over 22,500 dealers and find the perfect car. . Its been kept up mechanically and give me enough gas money, Id drive it coast to coast without worry. Good Lord! Original paint, top and in . I just read a piece on John Francis Regis. The St. Regis was based on Chrysler's rear wheel drive R-body platform, itself based on a modified version of the circa 1971 B-body design that provided the underpinnings for such cars as the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler Cordoba. I think the St. Regis would have been rather like the beautiful bright red, with white vinyl top and white leather interior Mirada I got around this time, in that it would have been a comfortable highway cruiser, though not the greatest handling machine around town. The wiring in the tilt wheel shorted out, leaving us with no cruise or horn. First show I took it to it earned a first in MoPar other (not A, B, C, or E.). The St Regis hangs around for over a year already, the poor kid has such a hard time selling it, even though it cant be better for a non-garaged car in North Michigan. Its very hard to tell the rust problem though, as the thick chrome trims cover up the door seals and rocker panel, where is most suspicious to rust. You really wanted the intersection to be very, very clear before you started to make a left turn. It forms part of Dodge's Series EH range of cars. In contrast to both the Monaco and the Diplomat, the St. Regis was offered solely as a four-door sedan. We had chunks of the black painted stripes just fall off the car. Looks great! By 1980, restrictive anti-emissions regulations meant that it was a dog to drive, with many police officers complaining about its poor performance. They look aftermarket or home made. 1979 Dodge Trucks. Something had to be done, and for 1978, something was done. ** CHP testing reached the Chrysler numbers with a 445 pound load in the car but only after setting the shifts to factory spec and replacing the muffler with a straight pipe. Volare has feather like steering also makes it less comfortable to drive on interstate at 70, but its still possible. Once you did manage to get it started, it would stall and stall. Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s police-based television series, including Sledge Hammer!, "The A-Team" and T.J. Hooker. The R represented the best all-around balance as far as speed, power, braking and cornering were concerned. If the radio in this car was anything like my 79 St. Regis its one of two things. Ram 1500. I have a 79 St. Regis. At least this Allpar article gives a good overview: http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/R-bodies.html. I have a 1979 Chrysler Newport, 318 LA small block 2bbl, TF A 904, AC, PS, PB, AM FM, cruise control (works well), base interior. I drove a later model Volare a few times for work and it steered much better, so I suspect it may have just been our cars particular set up. The Diplomats, conversely, were only available in base trim. It was only produced from 1979 to 1981 and most of the 58,000+ cars produced went to fleet use. That year the CHP put a limited number of Ford Fairmonts, Chevy Malibus, Plymouth Local police or the local sheriffs department having a contract with an incorporated city are primarily responsible for investigating and enforcing traffic laws in incorporated cities, but any peace officer of the CHP can still enforce any state law anywhere within the state, even though the agencys primary mission is related to transportation. Besides that, thats pretty sweet ride. Dude could of at least, got rid of the laundry basket in the front Hopefully, it wasnt the ad to sell the car. Those plastic piston brake cylinders were a nightmare until fleet figured that out (swelled up and stuck). Something that drives everyday. Gets rid of a lot of headaches. The original owner found a non Lean Burn Holley 2280 to put on it. It appears to be in very good condition for an R-body. The automotive landscape and world at-large is shifting away from petrol cars and towards electrification and political correctness. The St. Regis today is an exceptionally rare sight and comes in two flavors: babied or absolutely and utterly trashed. It was downsized and shed up to 450 kg in the process, and was styled to look bigger than it was. He has been writing about cars for several years with a string of published books to his name. Produced for a single generation, the St. Regis is one of the shortest-lived Dodge nameplates. 3) Horsepower/Torque Curve characteristic dimensions: outside length: 5593 mm / 220.2 in, width: 1958 mm / 77.1 in, wheelbase: 3010 mm / 118.5 in
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